Today (27/8) is the big day, the day Johor Bahru have been waiting for, for a year.

Having made various trips to similar events in Kuala Lumpur and across the causeway, TED fans in Johor Bahru can finally call TEDxSungaiSegget their very own. About 100 faithful fans turned up as early as 10am in high spirits, despite the gloomy weather that nearly threatened its attendance. But what an awesome day it turned out to be!

For the uninitiated, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience in the spirit of Ideas Worth Spreading. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x= independently organised TED event. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, under a free license granted by TED and subject to certain rules and regulations.

As the second TEDx event in Johor Bahru, TEDxSungaiSegget carries on the spirit of Ideas Worth Spreading to our community by celebrating the stories and ideas of people living the “Iskandar Malaysia” transition, and effecting positive change in our community to encourage a greater consciousness of the elements and their manifestations. To better understand the big idea behind TED and what inspires TEDxSungaiSegget past and present, hear / here’s what the lead curator Jia Yen has to share…

When was the last time you ever placed a call from a public phone, let alone picking it up if one was to go ringing when you walked past? Let’s HEAR it from this “telephone booth” which has been making its rounds in some of the city’s major shopping centres, and listen to what the people of Johor Bahru have to say… (PS: hold your breath, you’ve been warned!)

Being members of the media certainly has its perks, as we had the opportunity to occupy the front row and catch the eight speakers in action up close and personal. Instead of being spoilers and ruining your chance at hearing the big ideas that were shared on stage, we shall leave you with the pleasure of watching their TEDTalks, which would be made available online shortly. Meanwhile here’s some food for thought…

8组为2016年度 TEDxSungaiSegget 主讲的嘉宾依序为：
Before that, let’s take a look at who’s talking…

What really opened our eyes are not the ideas on stage that were worth spreading, but the fact that there were many selfless individuals and groups, regardless of their age, race or background, have been silently working behind the scenes in advocating many social causes for the welfare and benefits for our society as a whole. One speaker in particular, touched our heartstrings more for the causes that he’s championed purely out of his love for life and before we knew it, we were already following Syed Azmi Alhabshi on Facebook. A quirky pharmacist and a true giver from the heart, Syed has done community projects involving other groups like the homeless, refugees, single mothers, old folks’ homes, the blind and the deaf, cancer patients and abandoned babies. Using his Facebook page as his only platform to share stories of encounters with people he comes across every other day, Syed is also using it to spread the word about his projects and recruit volunteers. Expecting no rewards in return and calling himself “just a nobody”, Syed just like to be nice, and hope others could reciprocate too.

“People think you need to be in a society or have funding to do charity. But no, we wanted to change that. You don’t need a single cent to start a drive.” Why not follow Syed‘s lead, stop complaining and do something about it for a change?

18 minutes may not make much of a difference, but the impact could be long-lasting and even life-changing in some cases. From feeding our loved ones through sustainable community farming (FOLO), empowering our future generations with equal opportunities to basic education (Teach for Malaysia) to giving our home city and buildings its own unique identity, the ideas presented were already in motion, and have actually touched and benefited a small but growing community base. Taking the cue from Syed and the other speakers that every one of us is a source of power, all with a purpose and a role to play, TEDxSungaiSegget appears well on track to continue providing this long-awaited conversational platform and focus on the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world.

On the back of another sell-out crowd of 100 participants, many do question the actual significance that these small number could make. Take a moment to ponder, if every TED participant took the first (small) step in making these ideas known, and gather a few friends to support each cause, even a small stone can make a ripple and eventually becomes a huge wave!

Words cannot describe how grateful we are for the organisers of TEDxSungaiSegget, and the ideas worth spreading from the inspiring talks. We have hEARD them loud and clEAR, now over to you, Johor Bahru!

How could we forget to say Hi and forgo this opportunity to say cheese with our friends from FOLO Farm. Kudos to Jason, Will, Dr Lemuel and Co. for choosing microbes and micro-organisms over material gains, give it all up and return home to get into organic farming, working tirelessly to promote “Chaap” agriculture and advance community wellness and livelihoods across Johor Bahru.

We certainly look forward to TEDxSungaiSegget 2017, and who knows our home city of JB may just be ready to usher a bigger and better TEDxJohorBahru instead!